More musical tidbits...is anyone even reading this crap?

Bloc Party “Silent Alarm”
While certainly entertaining, this album lacks the intelligent and witty turns that make Blur and Franz Ferdinand (bands that Bloc Party tries to emulate) so good. The lyrics are teenage-poetry level (example: “Are you hoping for a miracle?”) and the back beats are simple and repetitive. This seems like an album that would be on in the background of a party where there’s a beer bong in the vicinity. Take that as you will, I’m giving it a 2.5.

Hot Hot Heat “Make the Breakdown”
I should hate this album. I should find it annoying and cheesy and despise the carnival-esque sounds. I should really hate it. But, dammit, I like it a lot. There is something fun and loose and fresh about it, something different. On the surface the album offers all of the things that made Bloc Party (see above) so undesirable, but they do it in a much better way. If “Silent Alarm” is a beer bong, then “Make the Breakdown” is a tray of Jello shots. C’mon everyone, let’s get trashed! The Hot Hot Heat get a worthy 3.5.

The Stills “Logic will break your heart”
About halfway through this album I forgot what I was listening to. That is not a good sign. There is nothing wrong with the album, it just has very little to offer that is unique or exciting. A heavy 80s influence doesn’t help things. If I wanted to listen to New Order or the Cure, I would. The band is reaching for something that they cannot quite grasp, and the result is wholly underwhelming. I give it a 2.

Snow Patrol “Final Straw”
The Postal Service on Pop Rocks. Snow Patrol exudes a steady coolness throughout the album, giving the songs an almost punk quality. The lead singer is a little too subdued at times, which is a shame because he has a good voice. If he pushed himself further the songs would have a little more power behind them and make the whole offering more enjoyable. As is, the album is very well done. Quirky noises and notes are put in on the sly, barely audible over the vocals and forefront instruments; I like the subtlety of it. “Final Straw” is a well conceived album that is able, for the most part, to accomplish what it set out to do. A little more force from lead vocals and it’s golden. As is, I’m giving it a 4.

Your daily musical intake. Now with 100% Vitamin BS

Elf Power “Creatures”
A member of the Elephant 6 Recording Company (see Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control, Dixie Blood Moustache, etc.) Elf Power is part NMH, part Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie, Postal Service, All-Time Quarterback, etc.). You can tell right off the bat that the influences of Jeff Mangum and the rest of the Elephant 6 crew are going to be heard throughout. The Lo-Fi recording and flawed qualities are more endearing than adventurous, which lends itself to less concerned listening. This would work fine as background music at a party, but deserves much more attention than that. I think I will be adding this album to my collection, as well as giving it a much-deserved 4.5.

Fall “Perverted by Language”
You would think that an album with the first track called “The man whose head expanded” would be good, huh? Well, you (like me) would be very, very wrong. Fall seems to rely on the weird to cover for their lack of musical talent. Their lead “singer” doesn’t (and maybe can’t) carry a tune. He merely talks, speaking the words in a nasally British accent that quickly becomes grating. His vocals are backed by repetitive thumping drums and an occasional guitar. He sounds drunk or stoned, and not in that good Bob Dylan, Conor Oberst, Jeff Tweety way. By far the worst album thus far. A 1 out of 5.

The Reindeer Section “Son of Evil Reindeer”
If Iron & Wine and Azure Ray had a baby it would be The Reindeer Section. Beautiful songs fade into one another throughout this album. The soft vocals of a Sam Beam-esque lead singer are perfectly accompanied by even softer background vocals. Dance music it surely is not, but for what it is (haunting, somewhat depressing melodies) it is nearly flawless. The name of their band (and the album for that matter) doesn’t fit at all with the style of music that they perform, but we’ll let that slide and give them a 4.

More music reviews

Here are a handful of reviews. I am keeping them short but sweet, enabling me to write more often. Enjoy!

Basement Apartment “Transistor”
An entertaining album, but fairly straightforward. The songs are good, some are quite catchy, but there is nothing experimental about them. It was the perfect music to listen to while working. They have a subdued style that I liked. I should give them a 3, but because of that catchiness I’ll raise it to a 3.5.


Blake Babies “Innocence & Experience”
The William Blake reference immediately drew me to give this album a listen. It was somewhat disappointing. The effort is certainly there and, had these same songs been performed by another band, it could even be great. In the end, however, Blake Babies comes off as a less-talented, poor man’s Rilo Kiley mixed with a little Breeders homage. 3 for effort, 2.5 for execution.


The Killers “Hot Fuss”
From their name I thought that this band would be too “loud” for me. I don’t particularly like people screaming in my ear or playing so loudly that they drown each other out. The Killers are not like this at all. They seem to have found a cozy balance between Brit-pop and pseudo-punk. There’s even a little 80s in there, but not too much to turn one off. Overall I was very pleasantly surprised by the songs, especially “Somebody Told Me” which I’ve heard on the wonderfully inappropriate Distorted View podcast. I really like that song, and the album as a whole and am therefore giving it a solid 4.


American Analog Set “Know by heart”
The first American Analog Set album that I heard was filled with enjoyable melodic tunes. There were only 8 tracks on “Promise of Love” and each one was beautiful chaos. “Know by heart” is a much simpler album. It contains 12 songs, most of which are about three minutes long (compared to the 8-10 minute tracks on “PoL”). The songs rely more on their lyrics than “PoL” does, but they are able to sustain the melodic tone. I am not sure if I like this offering better, but it is certainly close. Not only will I be giving this album a 4.5, but I will definitely now go to their concert when they stop by Brooklyn in October.

Music review

A while back I said I would review new music as it came out (or I heard it). That fell apart pretty quickly. Now I'm back with another review. Through the magical file-sharing properties of iTunes I have tapped into a nearly endless supply of unknown, unheard-of music. There are a lot of bands I know nothing about and hope to remedy that here. I will be listening to (at least) one new album a day while at work and will write a short review of it. Enjoy! And let's hope this one lasts longer than the first, aborted attempt.


"Funeral" by Arcade Fire

I believe that Jack Thunder and I were discussing this CD a little while back. Neither of us had heard much of it but were both intriqued. Well JT, it's a go. I loved it. There was something familiar about it (see Franz Ferdinand) and something fresh as well. The only downside to the album is that it feels too short. There are 10 songs spread out over 50 minutes, but it feels much shorter. In the end, however, I will give it a 4 out of 5 on the newly created Specometer.

Specometer scale:
1-Pure drivel crap (any Spears or Simpson)
2-Only good as background music, if at all
3-Solid but not exceptional
4-Very well done
5-Perfection (there won't be many of these)

*Note: there are also half grades (2.5, 3.5, etc.) which I will use at certain times.

100 People Who are Screwing Up America (and Al Franken is #37)

Bernard Goldberg has a chip on his shoulder. That chip is colored red. If I try to press this analogy much further, he might put me as the #103 person who is screwing up America. If I tossed in the words fuck, ass, bitch, or similar off-color phrases, he might consider moving me up to #93.

Jon Stewart critiqued Goldberg's criteria very well on The Daily Show about a month ago--in easily Stewart's most aggressive interview that I have witnessed on the show. (And Bernie even complemented Stewart in the book.) The critique was that Goldberg chose to attack the high-profile media celebrities and pop culture icons of the moment rather than actually review people with real, meaningful governing power. I agree . . . and I also find it hypocritical that Goldberg laments the lost civility of bygone decades, in which public people would never use purple language in a position of public discourse . . . and then he peppers his book with the same salty language.

There are categories of America Screwer-Uppers, which are:

• America Bashers--America is a terrible place and an embarrassment to the rest of the world.
• Hollywood Blowhards--if you can't think of any, give Bernie some time and he'll give you some examples.
  
• TV Schlockmeisters--Where, oh where has I Love Lucy gone?
• TV Schlockmeisters (News Division)--Where, oh where has Fred Friendly and Edward R. Murrow gone?
• I'm Your Pimp, You My Bitch (and other great American Love Songs)--Why can't Johnny sing?
• American Jackals--Litigious legions
• I'm Offended, Therefore I Am--Those pushing identity politics upon the helpless nation.
• Racial Enforcers--Those that won't let Bill Cosby speak the truth.
• White-Collar Thugs--the Ken Lays and Dennis Kozlowski's
  
• Sex Warriors--Don't get excited, okay? It's not the fun kind of sex warriors but those misguided feminazis that he is referring to here.
• Reading, Writing, and Radicals--Misguided intellectuals that foster political correctness on our college campuses.

And now, onto Goldberg's list of the Worst 100 people in the United States.

100. Rick and Kathy Hilton--parents of Paris. Yeah . . . they are that bad, or maybe Bernie's editors told him he needed to be a bit more topical (you know, for the kids).
99. Matthew Lesko--that crazy infomercial guy that tells you how to get free money from the government.
98. Sheila Jackson Lee--I can't describe everyone. For some, Google them or read the book your own self.
97. Todd Goldman
96. Eve Ensler
95. Courtney Love--what is Goldberg's explanation for her inclusion on the list? A single, solitary word: "ho." Very insightful, no?
94. Guy Velella
93. Richard Timmons
92. Kerri Dunn
91. Barbra Streisand
90. Michael Jackson--you want more of Goldbergs insight? His entry on Jacko: "If I have to explain it to you, you shouldn't be reading this book." Now I call that lazy.
89. Jane Smiley
88. Aaron McGruder
87. Sheldon Hackney
86. Chris Ofili
85. The Dumb Celebrity
84. The Vicious Celebrity
83. The Dumb AND Vicious Celebrity--all three of these entries feature quotes by celebrities commenting on politics, the 2000 election, etc. Curiously, Janeane Garofalo is found in all three categories.
82. Laurie David--wife of Larry David
81. Tim Robbins
80. Kitty Kelley
79. Harry Belafonte
78. Norman Mailer
77. Linda Hirshman
76. Barbara Foley
75. Eric Foner
74. Katha Pollitt
73. Barbara Kingsolver
72. Ward Churchill--no relation, in case you wondered.
71. Phil Donahue
70. Jimmy Swaggart
69. Matt Kunitz--Fear Factor's executive producer
68. Katherine Hanson
67. Randall Robinson
66. David Duke
65. Oliver Stone--but he just released the Director's Cut of Alexander and . . . never mind.
64. James Wolcott
63. Amy Richards
62. Howard Stern
61. Michael Savage
60. Ludacris--Man, don't you think it burns Streisand that Ludacris is so much more dangerous than she is?
59. Shirley Franklin
58. Eminem--Whoa! Slim Shady is this low?! There must be some seriously dangerous people listed ahead of him!
57. Ted Field
56. Diane Sawyer
55. David Westin--president of ABCNews . . . where Trust is Earned.
54. Neal Shapiro
53. Anna Nicole Smith
52. Markos Moulitsas--of dailykos.com.
51. Ann Pelo
50. John Vasconcellos--halfway there people! Get the bile ready! Is your gorge rising yet?
49. Ingred Newkirk
48. Robert Byrd--that's Senator Robert Byrd to you, fella.
47. Maxine Waters
46. Barbara Walters--What is one lesson to be gleaned from this list? Do NOT name your daughter Barbara! They all go bad in the end.
45. Ken Lay--too easy . . .
44. Dennis Kozlowski
43. Paul Eibeler
42. Gloria Steinem
41. Susan Beresford
40. Scott Harshbarger
39. Peter Singer--I absolutely agree . . . I HATE sewing machines! What? He's a Princeton bioethicist? Aww crap, who cares?!
38. Jim McDermott
37. Al Franken
36. Nancy Hopkins
35. Jeff Danzinger
34. Bill Moyers
33. Bob Shrum
32. Jerry Springer
31. Maury Povich
30. Latrell Sprewell
29. John Green
28. Julian Bond
27. Paul Begala
26. Dr. Martin Haskell
25. James Kopp
24. Lee Bollinger
23. The Unknown American Terrorist--Huh? That Gong Show comic? Is Cheney calling him a terrorist now?
22. Michael Newdow
21. Judge Roy Moore
20. Howard Dean
19. George Soros
18. Al Gore
17. Al Sharpton
16. John Edwards
15. Ted Rall
14. Mary Mapes
13. Andrew Heyward
12. Dan Rather--What's the Frequency, Bernie?
11. Noam Chomsky

And now, the ten WORST baby-killin', seal-clubbing, perverse, misguided maniacs that you would NEVER bring home to mother:

10. Ralph Neas--who?
9. Jonathon Kozol--Boy! I hate that . . . um, who are you again?
8. Paul Krugman
7. Margaret Marshall--Yeah! I HATED that racist Gone With the Wind crap, and . . . dammit Bernie! WHO ARE THESE DANGEROUS PEOPLE!! Oh, she's the Massachusett's Supreme Court chief justice that legalized gay marriage. Burn her!!!!!!!
6. Jimmy Carter--yeah! He's a BASTARD!
5. Anthony Romero--You make a few zombie movies and suddenly you're the fifth most dangerous person in the country.
4. Jesse Jackson
3. Ted Kennedy
2. Arthur Sulzberger--publisher of the New York Times.
1. SATAN . . . or as you might know him . . . Michael Moore.

So, there you have it America. Go rid the world of these dangerous people! I'll let Bernard give the final word, which I am copying verbatim from pages 303 and 304 of his book:

"For too many years now, the cultural elites have been working overtime trying to portray all those hicks in flyover country as grotesquely distorted fun-house mirror images of who they really are, without the fun part.
If Middle Americans oppose gay marriage, they must be homophobes. If they don't like the sex jokes at eight o'clock at night on network TV, they're squares. If ordinary Americans think gangsta rap is foul and degrading, they're racists who don't understand black culture. If Red State America thinks our "best" universities are dominated by left-wing ideologues, they're anti-intellectual dolts. If they think feminists have gone too far, they're sexists.
But none of this tells us very much about real ordinary Americans. What it tells us a lot about, though are the cultural elites themselves, these cloistered liberals who, as Tom Wolfe once put it, "do not have a clue about the rest of the United States" and "who are forever trying to force their twisted sense of morality onto us, which is a non-morality. That is constantly done, and there is real resentment."
Yes, there is real resentment, indeed. Middle Americans resent the smug condescension the elites routinely dish out from their cocoons in Manhattan and Hollywood. They resent the authors and journalists who call them "ignorant" because they don't see things the way the elites do. They resent the elites snickering at them because they like to bowl and eat at Red Lobster. They resent the notion that because they go to church every week and take the Bible seriously that there's something creepy about them, and that because they fly the American flag on the Fourth of July they're simple-minded hayseeds.
And it's precisely because of this snobby, elitist attitude that even when I agree with liberals on this issue or that, I don't like being associated with them. I'm with Tom Wolfe, who said, "There is something in me that particularly wants it registered that I am not one of them."
So, what is it that so many ordinary Americans want? It's actually pretty simple. We want a little more appreciation for the values that most of us--liberals as well as conservatives, Democrats as well as Republicans--used to take for granted: civility, mutual respect, a semblance of decency, and yes . . . a little old-fashioned love of country, too.
Is that asking too much?"

Primer

Under the strong recommendation of Jack Thunder, who sent out an impassioned email regarding this movie a few months back, I decided to watch Primer.

I put my name in at the library and waited . . . waited . . . and waited some more.

Finally on Friday I got email indicating that the movie was MINE.

Tegan and I watched it on Saturday night.

It was good, really good, and really challenging as well. This movie won awards at Sundance and beat out Garden State in the process. It has been compared to Stanley Kubrick's 2001 in almost every place I have seen it referenced. But I don't agree with that.

2001 was classic science fiction and took great pains to depict a fictional story by being faithful to the science. And in this sense, 2001 and Primer are the same. But otherwise they are not the same. 2001 was a fairly conventional story and wasn't that confusing (except for the last thirty minutes or so when David Bowman went out to confront the Monolith).

Primer is not conventional and has more of a connection to Memento and Groundhog's Day with a bit of 2001's science carefulness. Primer tells a story that is difficult to explain even after watching it carefully, then watching the director's commentary--hoping to glean clues and understand things not discernible the first go-round.

There is a lot of technical dialogue, but it is all REAL technical stuff--not Star Trek technobabble. But don't let that stuff scare you off; this movie is really about two people and how power changes them, makes them confront choices they might not have faced otherwise. And in that sense it doesn't matter about the science or whatever else the movie is hung on.

Shane Carruth is the first-time film-maker responsible for this film and he had an extraordinarily successful first outing.

Put your name on the list at the library, rent it, order it from Netflix, whatever. Jack and I will vouch for you.

Boys will be Boys..... Oh My!

A typical weekend on the Westsiiiiide... ummmm NO. Being a Parental Unit is a bit of a challenge sometimes...... Example....

Number one~~
This weekend, My Girl is in the pool with the 5 year olds. Our pool is about 15ft x 3ft and we have rafts, noodles (you know those foam noodle looking things that you can use to kind of float), squirt guns. Nothing fancy, but fun. Well, while My Girl was preoccupied with Blondie, Princess, and Skywalker (she is my little human jungle gym) Fearless gets a bright idea. He goes over to the side of the pool, pulls down his pants, and sticks his penis into the hole of a noodle and PEES!!!!! Thankfully he aimed the other end of the noodle outside the pool! I'm sure we cut his stream off with our screaming. This is something only a boy would even think of doing!!!! Tell me men, what was he thinking?? Geez........

Number two~~
Earlier, Blondie goes to the bathroom to pee (at least he got that part straight) and makes his way back outside. I casually look up from my seat at the picnic table and to ask if he wants a snack to find his penis stuck in his waistband, peeking out!! I said "Honey, fix your pants please." He grabs the sides and pulls at them while checking out the snack choices, not even noticing his still-stuck appendage. I said again (and very calmly I might add) "Please fix your pants. Your penis is showing." He looks down and says "oh" and shoves it down his pants. The boy is the true blue stereotypical blond-- he is ever joke ever told.......